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I did something post-worthy!

I know, I know, I said I was going to devote more time to blogging this year. And it's been months since my last post. But I did something post-worthy!

A few weeks ago I got this bee in my bonnet to start weaving. I think it had something to do with seeing several beautiful scarves made from otherwise hard to pair variegated yarns. And lord knows I have plenty of those.

I looked into buying a rigid heddle loom - and I still probably will at some point - but decided it was too much to invest in a brand new craft (though if I stopped buying yarn for, I don't know, 3 or 4 months, I could afford it no problem! But that's a different story). Further investigation led to the discovery of the backstrap loom - which uses a hefty object on one end and the weaver's body on the other end to tension the warp. I was intrigued; several sticks and some yarn and I could be weaving? So I decided to give it a go.

Warping was a bit of a problem. For a backstrap loom, you have to warp under tension and create a figure-8 in the middle of your warp for the creation of two different sheds. I had this awesome idea to create a warping board (which can cost around $50 on the low end!) out of a cheap plastic peg board and metal pegs. This was a resounding success:

However, I was unable to wrap my head around how do put in the figure-8 in the middle. Perhaps I'm complete dolt, and I have no doubts there's some insanely easy way to do it that exceeded my spatial reasoning. Regardless, this warping board would be great if I didn't need to put the sheds in the warp! This will prove useful later.

In the end I was able to wrap my warp under tension between my bookcase and the leg of my futon. It ended up about a yarn long and probably 3-4 inches wide (I didn't measure the final project when I finished it this morning since I was on my way out the door to work) So I had my loom warped and my string heddles tied and my shed stick in place - I was actually ready to weave!

I used a horrible sticky cotton yarn that I hated the first time I used it (in a sweater), but I didn't want to use a yarn I liked in case this was a colossal failure.

Okay, you would think by now I would know better. Seriously sticky yarn is seriously sticky. And string heddles did not work out so great for me (though they were better when I switched over to the mason’s twine that was all coated and slick).

Okay, so here's what you're looking at here: the pole in my lap is attached to a piece of fabric (actually a pillowcase) tied around my back. When I lean back, it increases the tension on the warp, when I lean forward, it lessens the tension (like when I need to open a different shed). The piece of cardboard is there to give me a hard surface to weave against while leaving a section of the warp for me to braid afterwards. the warp is attached to the bookcase across from me (which you can't see from this picture, sorry) and that bad boy ain't going anywhere. I have a sword/beater/pick up stick in the shed to hold it open an I have an enormous amount of yarn wrapped on that stick shuttle there. Like, waaaay more than I needed. This was also an exercise in how much yarn can I wrap on an 8" stick shuttle?

But guess what guys - I wove! I mean, its probably the ugliest thing ever woven in the world, but I did it!

I finished this piece this morning - by which I mean, I decided my weaving was getting more even and I hated this yarn so much that I had to stop. I thought it would be long enough to be my new backstrap (because the pillowcase is less than comfortable) but the braided ends were just a mite too short. It would work great for a child. Or it might end up in the trash because it's seriously fugly.

I already have yarn picked out for my next attempt - sport weight and much more slick - and I'm going to try it with a rigid heddle next!

Things I learned from this little adventure:

• I still hate cotton, and especially this yarn
• If I’m going to braid the ends I need more space at the beginning
• I need to spread the warp out on my end poles better before I start weaving. This was way too close together
• Somehow I twisted my warp which made it really hard to tie the heddles and I screwed them up somewhere. Take more care next time!
• The last two problems could be alleviated (and the whole warping under tension that I had such trouble with) if I used a rigid heddle instead of string heddles

Which is precisely what I intend to do on my next weaving project! Stay tuned!

Worst blogger evaarrr...

I probably shouldn't feel so guilty about not writing as often as I want in this blog, considering how much writing I do on Ravelry. If I could somehow import my Rav posts into some form of coherent paragraph form, I would totally do it. But that just wouldn't work.

Let's see. Since my last post, I've been captaining Team TARDIS in Nerd Wars - the largest team in NW history! It's been so much fun so far. This role really makes it easy for me to be super excited about everything NW related. F'real.

I have made the things...so now I'll show you pictures!

This is the latest test knit for Mia Rinde - and I am obsessed. I love this pattern so much. I want to make another one, probably in pale French Blue Prism Lace from Sunrise Fiber Co. More pictures:

Trust me, I know how cool my shoes are (:

Some works in progress:

This is my Celestarium shawl beginning. Eventually, it will depict the night sky to scale. The arrows are pointing to different styles of beads for different magnitudes of stars. Yup, I am actually insane.

Some fingerless mitts for our round 1 KAL/CAL for Team TARDIS. The pattern is Gallifrey and the yarn is in the colorway Time Traveler (from Knit Picks).

MKAL SPOILERS!!

And the very last picture - the beginning of my Unexpected Journey MKAL I told you about last time from AlterLace. It depicts the house at Bag End and trees from the shire. The next clue will be released over the weekend!

New Photos!

I don't have time to write a long entry, so I'm just going to have a quick photo heavy post. Enjoy!

FO & a New Endeavor

So, yay, I finished my first FO of the year, a shawl:

The pattern is Seth by Anna Dalvi from her Ancient Egypt in Lace and Color collection. The yarn is that merino, cashmere, angora, silk blend I've been trying to find a good match for. The shawl is beautiful, and actually much more colorful than it appears in these photos.

The new year has also brought new endeavors for me! First, I'm co-captaining my Nerd Wars team, Team TARDIS, at the start of the year of the 50th anniversary of the show! We have a massive team and incredibly epic plans. There's still time to sign up for Nerd Wars, so head over here to do that, mmmkay?

Also, one of our beloved long-time players, AlterLace, has just released her first Mystery Knit Along. It's inspired by The Hobbit, and it's called An Unexpected Journey. If you like MKALs and/or shawl knitting, be sure to check it out. You can purchase the pattern up there, and join the KAL on Rav here. It's 3 months long, so it's timed perfectly with Nerd Wars dissertations, if that's how you want to play. Personally, I'm going to take it easy and knit on it when I can, and submit it as a flexible start project in the third round.

Finally, I wanted to share my dissertation plans with y'all. I'm really excited to making Celestarium:

It's a to-scale representation of the night sky, using yarn overs and beads to represent the stars. I'm using a bead mix with four different bead types to indicate different magnitude of stars, from clear, to matte, to shiny. Hopefully when it's finished you'll be able to tell the subtle difference between the bright stars and the more distant ones. I've marked all the stars on the constellation chart included in the pattern, so I'll assign the bead type to the chart as I work through it. I kind of wish I had more white/clear beads so I could do six or more magnitudes, but instead I'm just combining m5 and m6, and m3 and m4. It'll be pretty awesome when it's finished!

Stay tuned for more Nerd Wars and other knittng updates! There's a lot of exciting things coming up!

January 12 and I'm already falling behind...

So I said this would happen at least once a week, so I guess I'm only a week behind. So let me tell you what I've been doing since the new year! Not so much with the pictures this time, unfortunately, because I haven't managed to finish anything yet this year.

On New Year's Day I started Seth by Anna Dalvi from the Ancient Egypt in Color and Lace  collection. I've had this gorgeous grey laceweight yarn with flecks of green and turquoise and purple  since last Christmas, and I've been dying for the right pattern for it. And I have to say, this is definitely the right pattern for it.

The colorway is called Sirens and the yarn is made from Merino, Cashmere, Angora and Silk. 

I also ordered some Lorna's Laces Honor in a color specially dyed for Stefanie Japel's Sharing Cowel:

In the colorway "Tresses" 

This is my easy-to-carry-around project, but I haven't had a lot of downtime for knitting at work lately, so it hasn't gone very far.

Finally, Mia Rinde (you remember my favorite shawl designer, right?) has another test right now, so I'm glad to be working on that as well.

Seth is almost finished, but I'm mostly focused on Mia's pattern right now. And, since it had been awhile, I'm using Sunrise Fiber Co. classic sock in Harvest Apple. The bright red is perfect for the hearts on Mia's pattern.

We're currently in inbetweentimes for Nerd Wars, but I'm planning on joining team TARDIS again for the fun. It's the 50th anniversary for the show, so we've got lots in store for the upcoming tournament! And I'll have lots to talk about so keeping my blogging resolution shouldn't be too hard.

Yarnie Resolutions

To Make:

• Knit 50 skeins
• Knit 20 shawls
• Crochet 5 shawls
• Knit 5 sweaters
• Publish 2 shawl designs
• Spin 5 skeins
• Finish following projects:

1. Casablanca sweater
2. Carson shawl
3. Mulieta shawl
4. Herringbone skirt
5. Green & rust socks from T3 dissertation
6. Moonlight sonata 

To Organize:

• Find a new way to organize yarn by color, weight, and yardage (cannot do until moved in March)
• Create a better way to match library patterns to stash
• Blog at least once a week about current WIPs and FOs
• Always add new yarn to stash, link to projects, weigh to accurately determine remaining yardage - separate storage for leftover bits
• Always document the size of needles used for a project
• Use consistent tags for favorites, library, queue and projects

No time to say hello, goodbye!

So I need to write a full-fledge blog report. There is so much to share. However, I do not feel like expending that much effort right now. I have two days off in a row coming up, so just keep your pants on people.

For now, however, I need someone to convince me not to spend $125 at WEBS right now. I want to really bad, but I should wait. Right? Or should I just go ahead and get my 34 skeins of yarn with my 25% off for buying in bulk and have conveniently at hand solid color sock yarn and the yarn for a sweater coat I want to make? I am so conflicted right now. I know I could spend $125 in a month on yarn and end up spending more on shipping, so why not do it all in one go? Because I'm living rent-free with my boyfriend's parents right now and it makes me feel like a bum when I get big packages in the mail. Better to wait until March when we're moving out, right? Right?

So conflicted. So my cart just sits there, all neglected like. Le sigh.

To do list...

Is growing. Rapidly. Okay let's sort this out:

Before Oct 1

• Finish Myrtle stole ( approx. 150 more rows + blocking) This seems doable if I only work on this for the next two days. 
• Wind Raspberry yarn, knit and block swatch for Sotherton sweater
• Carson shawl...maybe. Doubtful, but it's always there.

Between Oct 1 and Oct 28 (i.e. Nerd Wars time)

• Sunrise Fiber Co. winter accessory KAL - Shadowfax boots
• Dalek Hat(s)
• Mia R tests
• Sotherton Sweater

Crap, I forgot about the Muleata test (again). I should be able to finish that in a couple days in early October. Sigh.

List will grow after Oct 1, once I find out what the Nerd Wars challenges are and how I'm going to answer them.

Survey says...

Team TARDIS baby. So I'm going to go with my originally planned sweater and use the crossing cables to represent River Song & the Doctor's crossing timelines. How clever.

I have a feeling Pinterest will play a large role in my team tie-ins for this tournament. As for example...

Thanks pinterest

Also, a Dalek hat is in the works. And I'll probably make my own sonic screwdriver at some point. And a rewatch is in order. So excited!

Decisions, decisions...

Okay, I bought enough yarn for a sweater, had the pattern all picked out, then I got on Ravelry. I was just gonna check, you know? Make sure what I picked was the best choice...

Four hours later, I'd whittled my 30 pattern list down to 3 options for my dissertation in the upcoming Nerd Wars tournament. Seriously, I made a friggin spreadsheet for the patterns including columns such as pattern cost, what size I would make, yardage, mods, construction, needle size, gauge...it was pretty intense.

First, the yarn:

Eight skeins = 1200 yards. Apparently that was a little short for the intricately cabled sweaters I was drawn to; I had to eliminate a number because of insufficient yardage. Unless I wanted to make a sweater for my incredibly skinny, gorgeous sister, but as much as I love her, I'm not using Malabrio on her, mkay?

Okay, now for the contenders. I bought the yarn originally because I wanted to make this sweater (and because Craftsy was having a blowout sale and I really just spend way too much money on yarn when I don't need to):

In case you haven't noticed a trend yet, I'm really into cables for this project. Fall just equals cables to me. What can I say.

Contender number two:

This bad boy is the most expensive pattern of the bunch, and the least clear on the yardage. But, as this picture shows, I would modify the neck so it wasn't so turtlenecky like the original pattern. Also, I could do the sleeves last, two at a time, so I wouldn't run out of yarn. A thought.

And the final option:

I don't know how this would look in my raspberry, but I love the cable, it's a relatively cheap pattern, and it appears to give me more of a cushion regarding my yarn requirements.

So obviously I'm super torn right now. I want to start swatching so I can put together my dissertation proposal; plus I just want to play with my Malabrigo. Hopefully finding out which team I'm on tomorrow will help me decide!

I love when this happens - Finished object!

Okay, I know I said I was going to blog my knitting more. And I said I would share as soon as I finished something. But I went out and took pictures of this lovely shawl - another from Mia Rinde - and I just wasn't thrilled with how they turned out. Then I realized I'm super lazy and probably won't get around to taking better pictures until I finish another project, so I may as well share this with you now :)

This is Shallow Waters, made with Sparkle Lace from Sunrise Fiber Co. in Vieux Carré.

I love love love this pattern, and I love love love this yarn, but I'm not so sure how I feel about the combination. However, it is finished, it is sparkly, and it's growing on me.

Like most of Mia's patterns, this one is very intuitive and simple to follow along, but still has enough challenge to keep it interesting. The scalloped wave edging took about 40% of the yarn.

This baby is huge - clocking in at 26.5" down the spine and 45" across the widest part horizontally. I really wish these photos showed the sparkle in the yarn, but as I've come to realize from shopping for sparkly yarn to photographing it myself, it's really easier said than done. So here's just one more picture for your viewing pleasure:

And now I say goodnight.

Knit to self....

Knit more sweaters. I love my shawls, but I just saw this blog post on the Twist Collective Blog about jettshin, a knitter who makes incredibly gorgeous sweaters. I'm feeling inspired; maybe I'll un-relegate my sweater attempt from UFO status just in time for cooler weather. Plus I have a few pullovers and cardigans in my queue, and I just bought an ebook in Interweave Knits' sale yesterday about top-down sweater construction. Okay, now I'm sounding very ambitious, but perhaps a sweater pattern is in my future...hmmmm...

Anyway, as far as things I'm actually working on at the moment - my Shallow Waters is just about finished (ten or so rows to go) and the second clue for the Myrtle Mystery KAL has come out. I've finished the first chart repeat on that but still have quite a ways to go. No worries, however, I've had to place that at the bottom of my priorities because I have another test shawl that's kind of been languishing on the sidelines and I need to crank that out.

I've also been a bad girl, ordering yarn I can ill afford, but it was Lantern Moon, and it was on sale, and it was a gorgeous red color...what's a girl to do?

Seriously, how was I supposed to resist? Damn you, Craftsy, and your wonderful deals!

I've set it up with Grouchy Geisha by Marisa Hernandez (maidenbklyn), whose designs I've long admired but never knit. Currently there are six other patterns ahead of it in the queue, so there's no telling whether I'll decide to reapportion the yarn for another project between now and then. But as of now, that's the plan :)

And who knows, maybe a sweater will jump ahead in the queue, preventing my need to either return to Kentucky to get some fall clothes out of storage, or buying new sweaters here in St. Louis. Though a return to KY would also mean I could grab some more yarn out of storage...much to think about here chillins. And on that note, I bid you good day.

My Precioussss: A yarn petting story

So my favorite ever designer is also one of the nicest people on earth. Seriously, Mia Rinde, you're the best.

In related news, I got some yarn in the mail today. Now, enjoy the yarn pr0n.

Madelinetosh Tosh Lace in Filigree

For a shawl inspired by the Alchemilla plant

Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino in P866

For a sunset-inspired shawl

Madelinetosh Tosh Lace in Steam Age

For a snowflake shawl

Omm nom nom.

Also, I wanted to somewhat recant my harshness regarding Laura Nelkin's Mystery KAL. I'm having a case of the really nice designers lately, but Laura is a genuinely kind person, and I hope no one inferred otherwise from my comments. My problem was with a specific participant who got a little shirty with me, and when I have like 5 other projects going at the time, it was just really easy for me to drop that one. I hope once it comes out I can find time to sit and knit it at my own pace (which admittedly will probably be quicker than 6 weeks!).

I'm still working on my Shallow Waters test knit for Mia with Sunrise Fiber Co. sparkle lace in Viex Carré (I know you were wondering when I was going to bring up SFC!). I'm on the edging charts now, and this baby is gonna be pretty big. I'll post pictures when it's all presentable-like.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go lay down in a pile of yarn. Ahem.

Myrtle Mystery!

I've yet to do a Mystery KAL that didn't burn me out (see this post), but the lovely Mia Rinde is doing a free one, called Myrtle, and since I've never made anything of hers that I didn't absolutely love, I decided to give a shot.

Now, the pattern suggested 900-1000 yds of lace weight, but Mia said her tester with a tight gauge used less than 900 yds. Okay, well I have this gorgeous skein of grey laceweight with subtle flecks of purple, green, turquoise...but it's only 815 yds. We'll see how it goes. It knitted up beautifully, and since it's merino, cashmere, angora and silk, it's pretty much the softest yarn I've ever worked with. But unfortunately, at the end of clue 1 of 5, I'd used over a third of my yarn, and that just wasn't going to work. Here's how it looked though, for oogling purposes (SPOILERS for Myrtle KAL-ers!)

So anyway, that is the first clue, and it took me about 8 hours in one day to do the whole thing. I went out in search of some complementing yarn to integrate into the stole to make it go a little further, but I couldn't find anything that was just right and I wanted my FO with this yarn to be stunning. So I ripped it out and I'm saving it for another perfect project.

I started again with the stole yesterday using Mad Color Fiber Arts cobweb that I've had for awhile. And I have over 2400 yards so I know for sure I won't run out :) I had planned to make a sweater with it, but if I'm being honest with myself, that's probably never going to happen. And since most of my yarn is in boxes in a storage unit in Kentucky, it's not like I have a lot of options for this project hanging around in St. Louis. It just so happened that this yarn is the only one I have that goes over 850 yards, so here it is! But I'm actually quite liking using it. I've never used cobweb or single ply yarn before, so it definitely took some getting used to. But the color is amazing, and while it's not as soft as the other yarn I was using, the fabric has good airiness to it and it feels good on my skin. So after another couple days, I managed to re-knit the first clue:

This time I pinned it to a different bed with different sheets, and there's quite a lot of contrast :)

For those of you who may be interested in joining this free KAL, click the link above and download the first clue before Sept. 7. Mia is posting each clue for a week, so if you don't have time to knit it, save it to your hard drive before the next clue is posted because the new one will supersede the old one. At the end of the MKAL, the pattern will be listed for sale too :)

Move to St. Louis, knitting galore!

Okay, another post, only one month later! That must be some kind of record or something. At the end of July, the bf and I moved from Lexington, KY back to his (parent's) homestead in St. Charles, a suburb of St. Louis. Now I'm a Kansas City girl, so the area is new to me, but I'm proud to announce that I've secured employment (go me!) at a craft store (double score!) and my knitting hasn't abated one bit in the intervening month. So let's do some catch up shall we?

When I left things last time, I was hinting at a new shawl made with that gorgeous yarn from Sunrise Fiber Co. in Patina. So here's what the finished object turned out to be:

As you'll soon see, this bench is one of my new favorite photography props. It's nice to live somewhere with an actual back yard with trees and some patio furniture to put things on. Outdoor pictures are da bomb yo!

Okay, so since I'm pretty much obsessed with shawls lately, here is one I've dubbed the "Bad Luck Luiza". I had a lot of problems with this baby. The finished product is pretty, but I nearly tore all my curls out making it. I love, love, loved the yarn I used for the major part of it, then did the bind-off in Knit Picks Stroll in black to coordinate.

You can check out the project page on Ravelry to see how much trouble I had with it. Grr.

I didn't have nearly as much trouble with my Sakura in the Sun project, my first submission for the 2012 Ravellenic Games. I used Sunrise Fiber Co. classic sock again - can you tell it's one of my favorite yarns? - this time in Cherry Blossom (hence the name). I really like how this colorway knit up in this pattern:

And I'm hoping to soon be in the land of cherry blossoms - Washington DC, not Japan, that is.

Okay, hoping you all still have viewing energy left, because I've been very busy the last month. Next up is another Ravellenics project, a reversible hat in Malabrigo Worsted - another brand that is moving up quickly in my favorite yarns. It's so soft and reasonably priced too. This hat will be a Christmas present for my sister (who fortunately doesn't read this blog!)

Woo, reversible! Woo, Christmas knitting in August!

Okay, last up for the finished objects is this gorgeous test knit I did for Mia Rinde, the same designer who did Mimosa Mimicry. This one is called "Hearts that Flourish" and the the repeated motif is, you guessed it, a heart pattern. I used Sunrise Fiber Co. again, with a gorgeous colorway she calls Lilac. It's a bright purple with hot pink undertones, and I've only worn it about a zillion times so far!

That bench is getting plenty of use from me, I swear.




Okay, so that wraps up (pun intended) the finished shawls for the month. But the fun doesn't stop there! I'm currently working on two shawl tests - another for Mia, and one for a first time designer named Sarah (fluffstuff on ravelry).


I'm also doing a mystery knit along from Laura Nelkin, though I'm slacking a bit on that one because of the less-than-welcome vibe I got from fellow KAL-ers. It's not fun to do a knit along if the people with whom you are knitting along aren't terribly kind. So I may get back to that pattern in time, but I'm kind of bummed I bought it and allocated two skeins of fingering weight yarn to it when I can't enjoy the mystery-KAL aspect of it. Plus, set up is never my favorite part of a project, and the first two clues of this one are Clue 1, follow these steps; clue 2, do the same thing in clue 1 two more times. Bleh.


On the horizon, however, is another MKAL - a stole with Mia Rinde (who is obviously becoming one of my favorite designers)! I have a great skein of laceweight set aside for it:

Which I got as a gift, so I can't link to the seller, unfortunately. But I can say, it looks even more gorgeous as a yarn cake than in the skein. The MKAL will start in four days, and I can't wait!

And you all probably think I'm crazy at this point, but I've also signed up for another KAL with Sunrise Fiber Co. (I wouldn't miss one for the world). This time we're using her Cloud DK base in custom KAL semi-solid colors. I'm making some colorwork sock boots with the Grape inspired colorway and her established color, sage. It'll be interesting to use a DK base for once; I've been using a lot of fingering- and lace-weight yarns recently!

Now that I'm actually employed and not as grumpy in general at the world, I'll try to blog more regularly about what I've been working on :) Though one benefit, I suppose, to me waiting so long is you get a nice, long, picture-heavy post of pretty fo's. But I'd really like to start writing more about my process and what I'm thinking as I knit a project, so consider this my mid-year resolution: to write at least one blog post per project I'm working on. So look forward to a wrap-up post coming soon for the current test knit for Mia, "Shallow Waters".